The first tenants of the first building at the Gold Hill Mesa development were finishing moving in this week.
They are (big surprise) the development company itself - as well as Willard & Company (the financial planning firm that's owned by Gold Hill developer Bob Willard).
The group, consisting of only about five people, will occupy the upstairs offices of the east wing of the Exchange Building. The address is 142 S. Raven Mine Drive,
accessible from Lower Gold Camp Road. The phone number remains the same: 444-0330.
The two-story structure, for which other tenants are being sought, will eventually also serve as the community center for the 210-acre residential-commercial
subdivision north of Lower Gold Camp, east of 21st Street and south of Highway 24.
The Gold Hill offices had been located on South Eighth Street for the past few years while development plans were drawn up for the former gold-milling site and
work took place to certify it as safe for inhabitation. Also, streets needed to be laid in to provide access.
One of the big advantages to the relocation is proximity to the project, noted D. Wendal Attig, whose Gold Hill Mesa responsibilities include public relations. “We're
at least here,” he said. “We don't have to jump in a car anymore to come over and make decisions.”
No ceremony is planned for the occupancy. However, a grand opening for the 20,000-square-foot building is tentatively set in May, Attig said. Construction of the
edifice began last summer; landscaping still needs to go in.
Meanwhile, work continues nearby on the first eight model homes. The builder, John Laing, had hoped for a February opening for the dwellings, but “the weather is
just killing us,” Attig said.
Among the amenities of the Exchange Building are an outside fireplace, garage doors that can be rolled up for festive indoor-outdoor occasions and a large meeting
room on the second floor that will be used for future homeowners association meetings.
No other tenants are currently lined up, but discussions are taking place, Attig said. Also, a downstairs restaurant is being constructed. The idea is to set it up
according to a basic culinary scope (which is still being determined), then hire an independent firm to operate it, Attig explained.